The Lost
by primitivekittens
Summary: [WM] A simple assignment leads to an experience that the ducks will never forget. Finished! Character death warning for chapter seven. Extreme angst for chapter seven onwards.
1. The Journey Begins

The Lost  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Pairings: Wildwing/Mallory  
  
Author's Note: Hey y'all, I'm back! It feels like forever since I posted here last, I feel really bad about not getting this new fic out sooner. I've gotta start writing more. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this next tale I have to tell, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride!  
  
Chapter One  
  
Mallory stared up at the ceiling of her room in disdain. She was completely and utterly bored. There was nothing new to do around the Pond, or Anaheim for that matter. She racked her brain for new ideas, but alas could find absolutely nothing of interest.  
  
'Cleaning? Been there, done that. Shopping? Hell yeah, I've drained my account for the month and then some. Computer games, I've beaten them all. I've even resorted to playing against Nosedive in some of his extraordinarily ridiculous Playstation 2 games. I've read all of my books already, and I've worked out so much that it hurts to move. I'll just go try and find someone to talk to, someone has to be as bored as I am around here.'  
  
Mallory exited her room and walked down the hallway, her doors closing behind her with a whoosh. All of a sudden, a shock of blonde hair came hurtling past her, almost running her down in a futile attempt to escape the screaming figure coming from the opposite direction.  
  
"Nosedive Flashblade, when I get my hands on you.!"  
  
To Mallory's surprise it was Tanya that was yelling at Nosedive from down the hall. All of sudden, Nosedive clung onto her waist, whimpering and uttering nonsense about accidents and Tanya's lab. Mallory managed to pry Nosedive off of her, not only did she feel uncomfortable with Nosedive touching her in any form, but she wanted to hand Nosedive off onto the vengeful Tanya, in case he had done something catastrophic to her lab and needed to be punished.  
  
"What did you do this time, Nosedive?" Mallory sighed as she spoke; mixing Nosedive and Tanya's lab was never a good idea, as far too many things could go wrong, and only resulted in anger. No matter how many times the entire team had told the young, blonde drake to stay away from the lab, he never listened and always ended up paying for it severely.  
  
"It was an accident, I swear it!" Mallory grabbed Nosedive by the scruff of his shirt, holding him at arms' length and scowled.  
  
"Sure Nosedive, it's not considered an accident after you've already been warned not to go in there."  
  
Tanya finally managed to catch up with the retreating, disheveled Nosedive, and stared him down with her rage and fury.  
  
"Mallory, h-hand him over, h-he has s-some cleaning to do!"  
  
"No, Mal, please don't give me to her, I swear I didn't mean."  
  
Mallory took one look at Nosedive and shoved him roughly into Tanya as she rolled her eyes in annoyance. She walked away, feeling rather pleased with herself, and irritated that she had to live with Avians like these. Soon, Duke came creeping across the hallway, lithely and gracefully as usual. Mallory would have sworn that Duke was gay just by his walk alone, if he wasn't such a womanizer all the time. He had a smug grin across his face; he looked amused for some reason that Mallory was unaware of.  
  
"What has you lookin' all high and mighty, Duke?"  
  
"Nothin' sweetheart, just that I saw what just happened between Nosedive and Tawny back there. I paid him ten bucks to go pull that stunt; it was all worth it ta see the look on his face."  
  
Mallory rolled her eyes yet again and roughly shoved Duke out of the way. "Right L'Orange, it was just hilarious, I couldn't think of anything that I would have enjoyed watching more.You know that if Tanya finds out that you paid him, it'll be both of your asses out drying on the line."  
  
"Ah, no worries sweetheart, if she can't find me, she can't do anything to me!"  
  
"You keep that little disillusion locked away in your head. Oh, and while you're making one of those rare visits to your brain, why don't you remember not to call me 'sweetheart', okay?"  
  
Duke just rolled his eyes and glared at her, and slunk back down the hallways, obviously escaping while he had the chance. Mallory shook her head, and headed off into the kitchen, flopping down on an empty chair. She rested her forehead on the cool metal of the table, falling into a torrid of questions as to why her life had to turn out so miserably, living on a bizarre planet in a different universe with four other avians that she could barely tolerate. Well, there was ONE avian she was alright with.  
  
"You look like you could use some coffee."  
  
Wildwing's voice dragged Mallory out of her stupor and brought her back into reality.  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah, coffee would be nice, are you making some?"  
  
"Yeah, I could use the caffeine boost myself," Wildwing chuckled. "So are you feeling okay? You look a tad down."  
  
"Thanks for the concern Wildwing, but I'm fine." Mallory faked a smile and inwardly screamed. She was never one to tell others how she felt, but Mallory felt like she was being torn apart inside. The fact that she felt friendless, alone, and miserable with her surroundings were eating her from the inside, out. However, she still kept to herself, unwilling to let anything go.  
  
Wildwing sat down in the chair next to Mallory. He knew something was bothering her, after having a baby brother to protect since he was seven he knew when someone was being troubled.  
  
"You're a terrible liar Mallory, either that or I'm too damn smart for my own good."  
  
"Dream on Wildwing. I'm just bored, that's all, I need to get out of here and do something."  
  
"Well, I'll take you somewhere, just pick a place and we'll go."  
  
"How about the seventh layer of Hell? That seems to be the only place I haven't gone yet. I've been everywhere in this entire God-forsaken town, I'm all out of ideas."  
  
Wildwing chuckled softly, and rose to fix their coffee, seeing how it had finished brewing in the coffee maker. He made both of their coffee's exactly the same, several scoops of both sugar and creamer, neither could stand the bitter taste of the brew exclusive to earth. He sat down with the cups, and handed one to Mallory.  
  
"I can't take you to Hell, we're already here," he stated.  
  
"Ha-ha Wildwing, real funny..."  
  
"I'm as serious as it gets, I hate this place."  
  
"Tell me about it, the environment mixed with the people has given me a headache that hasn't stopped since we got here."  
  
"Ah-ha! You see, I can weasel information out of you! It's not as hard as everyone thinks it is."  
  
Mallory glared at him, "Shut up, now."  
  
"And if I don't? What's the worst that could happen? It's not like you just spilled your guts to me."  
  
"Tempt me enough and I just might."  
  
"Go ahead, it's nothing that I can't handle."  
  
"Right, whatever wonderboy, there's nothing that you can't handle is there? Your life is always just peaches and cream." Mallory seeped high levels of sarcasm into her words as she downed the rest of her coffee. She dumped the cup into the dishwasher and smacked Wildwing lightly on the back of the head as she passed.  
  
"Ow, Mal! I think you just put me in a coma!"  
  
"Serves ya right, ya big lug."  
  
"Aww, don't be mean to me! I don't think my fragile little heart can take it!"  
  
"Too late, I think I've already insulted you several times today."  
  
"Bitch"  
  
"Asshole"  
  
"Fuckwad"  
  
"Dipshit"  
  
They both laughed at themselves. They teased each other back and forth regularly, neither one of them took any offense to it, and they always felt in a lighter mood afterwards. Mallory grabbed onto Wildwing's shoulders from behind and shook him lightly, pretending to hurt him.  
  
"Get up, you're taking me somewhere."  
  
"I am? Since when?"  
  
"Do remember anything you say? You told me five minutes ago that you'd take me somewhere, so I'm taking you up on that offer. Now, get off of your lazy butt and get moving!"  
  
Wildwing turned around in his chair so that he was facing Mallory and grabbed her hands as she removed them from his shoulders.  
  
"And if I refuse to take you?"  
  
"I'll beat you into a puddle of goo."  
  
"Fair enough, but I have you trapped so you can't go. If you can't go, then I don't have to go anywhere, so I think I'll just hold onto your hands for a while."  
  
Wildwing suddenly trapped both of her hands in one of his and got up from his chair. He glared evilly and connivingly in her direction.  
  
"What the...?"  
  
Wildwing slung Mallory over his shoulder like a Neanderthal and walked into the rec. room. He started spinning, and she spun with him seeing as how she was trapped in a rather compromising position.  
  
"Oh my God, Wildwing! Stop!" she cried, laughing breathlessly.  
  
He positioned her into his arms and spun them around until he was too dizzy to stand and fell rather ungracefully on the floor, Mallory landing on top of his chest, red-faced and panting. They both lay on the floor, laughing to the point of tears and completely out of breath. She caught her breath first, and positioned herself with her arms folded over her chest, staring straight into his face. He caught his breath a few short moments later, opening his eyes he found Mallory staring down at him from above. He though she looked like an angel, the dim lighting from the lights above reflected in a halo around her head, and she was smiling down at him gracefully. He reached up and cupped her cheeks with his hands; Mallory closed her eyes and rubbed her face gently within them. She scooted up closer to his face, her beak merely inches away from his own. Her hands moved up to his scalp, his down her back, their eyes closing in anticipation of a moment that they had both been hoping for ever since they had met each other. Their beaks moved closer together with every passing second. Suddenly Drake One went off, the loud alarm blaring through the entire complex and startling them out of their mutual fascination. Mallory and Wildwing got up, both blushing slightly as they headed off towards the Ready Room. 


	2. The Surprise

The Lost  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Pairings - Wildwing/Mallory  
  
Author's Note - This is just the second installment of my new fic brought to you by procrastination and a severe lack of interest in any of my homework. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Wildwing and Mallory, while still a tad dazed and flushed, were the first to enter the Ready Room. Duke, Nosedive and Tanya rushed in within moments of their arrival. Tanya whizzed her way through Drake One, and immediately saw that the main catalyst for the blaring alarm was a trace of teleportation energy.  
  
"W-Wildwing! There's some, uh, teleportation energy! T-This is impossible, we g-got rid of anyone capable of this w-when we brought down Dragaunus!" Tanya cried. Wildwing examined the screen in confusion, Tanya's statement was correct unless they had overlooked something.  
  
"Tanya, where does Drake One say that energy is coming from?" Wildwing asked.  
  
"I-It doesn't even look like i-it's from this country! L-Let me run the, uh, coordinates through Drake One, and uh, then I can tell you."  
  
Tanya typed away at lightning speed on the main unit of the Ducks' super- computer. Her beak dropped open as the location of the teleportation energy was displayed.  
  
"S-South America?" Tanya examined the screen looking uncharacteristically perplexed. "H-How could Dragaunus and his g-goons have gotten all the way down to the Amazon? I-It's almost impossible, I mean..."  
  
"Tanya, it doesn't matter how they got there, what matters is that we follow them and destroy whatever plans they are hatching." Wildwing announced, "Let's go team, to the Aerowing!"  
  
Mallory was the last to follow her teammates as they left to board; she had a very bad feeling about this trip that she just couldn't shake.  
  
Brief hours later, the team of six arrived at the pinpoint location of the energy disturbance, but soon realized that they had a rather large problem.  
  
"Uh, Wildwing," Nosedive's voice caught the leader's attention, obviously centered on other matters that held more importance at the moment. Nosedive seemed puzzled, Wildwing's attention was solely focused on Dragaunus when energy disturbances occurred, and any thoughts that he had were usually shared, almost at an annoying rate, with the rest of the team. Now however, Wildwing was quiet, seemingly withdrawn from the situation at hand, and Nosedive seemed puzzled as to what could possibly be important enough to distract his big brother from a mission.  
  
"Wildwing we have a bit of a problem. Okay, maybe it's a rather large problem but that's not the point. We can't land in all of this dense forest but we still need to get out there and find whatever is messin' with our detectors."  
  
"Okay Dive," said Wildwing, "Then I'll pick two of us to go out there and scout it out, if anymore of us go then it will be too easy to get separated. Do I have any volunteers?"  
  
No one had raised their hands, none of the ducks wanted to set off into the seemingly alien forest, it was full of hazards and dangers that most of them had not been prepared for.  
  
"Alright, how about this, I'll just choose whoever is going to go, and I automatically volunteer myself, seeing as how I am responsible for you all. This forest presents dangers that none of us have seen before."  
  
Nosedive and Tanya both began to open their mouths to object and Wildwing merely silenced them with a wave of his hand.  
  
"I will have no objections to this, as the leader of this team I am responsible for the well-being of all of us, and the one going into this forest with me will be in more danger than those who will stay behind in the Aerowing."  
  
Mallory looked around her; none of the Avians standing next to her were very well suited for a jungle climate or environment at all. Grin was too bulky, and could easily become aloof and clumsy with his size. Nosedive was too much of a goof-off and could fast become miserable without his nonsense that he called comics. Duke wouldn't know the first thing about survival in the wild, he was too used to living in the posh world of technology and finery, as his thieving days had enriched him in the cash department. Tanya was needed on the Aerowing in case anything went wrong, and as a worry-wort and second guesser, she was almost always a last choice in any combat zone. She knew that he'd pick her, merely for the fact that she had been trained for this, she knew how to survive and could do it with ease; she prayed that he had no ulterior motives for such a choice. She hoped to whatever higher powers that existed to make her visit in the Amazon a brief one.  
  
"Mallory, you're with me."  
  
She sighed, she knew this was coming yet she somehow hoped that he wouldn't make her go along, any extended and isolated period in his company could be too much of a temptation for her, seeing as how this morning they had been walking on that ever-thinning line between friendship and something more. She grabbed her gear, and made sure that they both had everything they would need, and they rappelled out of the Aerowing, uncertain about their future and afraid for the endless possibilities of what could come.  
  
TBC... 


	3. Hidden Fear

The Lost - Chapter Three  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Pairings: Wildwing/Mallory  
  
Author's Note: Finally! I'm taking out time to sit down and write, not only because I need to prevent myself from burnout *twitch*, but I'm really in the mood to write. Okay, okay, so not wanting to do homework plays into this as well, but can you really blame me? Who wants to work on pre- calculus, anyways? Enjoy this third chapter y'all!  
  
Wildwing and Mallory descended down their lines into the Amazon wilderness, each were afraid; one too strong to express their opinion, the other was silenced with the weight of responsibility. They each opened their comms and located the pinpoint location of the energy disturbance. For a moment their gazes met and held before they set off. Mallory was very worried, her puck launcher and the company of her more than competent leader didn't reassure her enough to settle her nerves. She had been having shaky feelings about this trip since she first stepped into the Aerowing, and they had only gotten worse as she had realized that she and Wildwing were on their own when it came to fighting any enemies. In the military, she had always had backup on every mission. While it did not make her immortal, it had at least given her a sense of reassurance. Now she had no support, not even her comm would work in the dense, thick forest, an aspect of this mission that troubled her greatly. She questioned all of the things that could go wrong. What if she died? Even worse, what if Wildwing died? Mallory inwardly shuddered. She would never admit it, but she was beginning to see Wildwing in a new light, not just as a leader or a friend, but also as something more. Losing him would be devastating to her, and she only hoped that they would both make it out of this alive. She stole another hardened glance over at Wildwing and continued on the trek to her destination. Wildwing watched Mallory intently; knowing that she was too lost in thought to be paying any attention to him. He knew her habits well, but then again, he watched her with a careful eye whenever she happened to be in his vicinity. He saw absolute strength entwined in every last one of her features, the way that she walked, the way that she held her head high, the way that fear was never present in her stance; she had the uncanny ability to hide her feelings from the outside world. Even as they traveled together now, he couldn't tell just what she was thinking and had absolutely no clue as to what she was feeling. He wished that she would trust him enough to drop her stony façade, he realistically knew that she would never do that, he was too much of a leader figure to her. He hoped with all of his might that nothing would happen on their trek. Having no backup made him feel uneasy at best and all he wanted was to get out of this alive, if only to see Mallory's shining, angelic face for another day. Deep down, he knew that he felt a pull of attraction to her. Sure, she was beautiful and every guy wanted her, but something more than just her looks captivated him and pulled on every fiber of his being. There was something about her soul, her personality that he couldn't quite place his finger on.  
  
All of a sudden, Wildwing was shaken out of his reverie by a frantic tug on his shoulder. Worried blue eyes stared him in the face and two familiar hands turned his head to look in front of them. Wildwing's jaw dropped in awe as he took Mallory's hand in his and pulled her close to him. Mallory stared in shock as well, making no attempt to create more personal space as she wrapped her arms around his chest and clung to him tightly. A large band of primal-looking warriors had gathered around them, brandishing spears, nets and other archaic forms of weaponry. The huge mass of tribesmen knocked fear into both Wildwing and Mallory; they instantly realized that they had no chance against the band of warriors based on sheer numbers alone. The weapons of metal and wood were aimed at the two avians and the leader was shouting orders at them in a language that they did not understand. They dropped their weapons and raised their hands into the air, hoping that the natives recognized the universal sign of surrender. Mallory looked at Wildwing with blank eyes that masked the fear that resided within her. She spoke no louder than a whisper, Wildwing almost didn't hear her.  
  
"Wing, I think we're in trouble."  
  
TBC. 


	4. Sufferings and a New World

The Lost – Chapter Four  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Pairings: Wildwing/Mallory  
  
Author's Note: Um, yeah, I'm not dead in the fanfic department, believe it or not, and here's a chappy to prove it. Yeah, so here's chapter four. Thanks to the Jenster for editing and putting up with me. Questions, comments or concerns can be emailed to me, although flames aren't really appreciated. But if you think I suck that bad, well, then, maybe I deserve 'em...*shrugs* Anyways, enough of my blabbering, on with the fic!  
  
Mallory sighed as she gazed at her new surroundings. She was locked with Wildwing in some sort of primitive hut; they were both seated on the dirt floor. Stripped of their armor and the mask of Drake DuCaine, their hands were tied behind their backs to a pole embedded in the center of the shoddy building. The thick rope binding was cutting her wrists, rubbing at the flesh until it was raw and blistering. Her head throbbed from where one of the natives had hit her in the back of the skull with their spear, and she has a gash across her thigh from where a patch of brambles had decided to jump out and slash her. She knew that she was probably bleeding in more places that she could count. Her thoughts ended abruptly as she felt something brush against one of her hands. She looked down and saw that it was just Wildwing's hand, trying to move to a position that was anything more comfortable than its current locale. She looked over at Wildwing for a brief moment; he wasn't faring any better than she. He was cut and bruised as well, and just as scared as she was, even though neither would admit it. Wing caught her eye for a brief moment and then turned his head sharply, almost as if in shame. She saw right through his emotional mask, he was terrified out of his wits.  
  
"Wing?" Mallory was surprised at the hoarse quietness in her voice; it was very uncharacteristic of her red-hot temper.  
  
"Mal, I'm so -"  
  
"Cram it Wing, I don't even wanna hear you say it." Her voice softened as he lowered his head, "I just wanted to make sure that you're alright."  
  
"I'm okay, nothing that I haven't endured before. How are you doing?"  
  
"Nothing worse than any of my other battle scars. I'll live."  
  
Suddenly, the door to the crumbling hut opened, and three primitive-looking natives entered. Mallory and Wildwing observed the three and looked each other; they gripped each other's hands as best as they could despite their bindings, fearful as the men approached closer. The two men that flanked the sides wore identical red and black face paint; one streak of each ran across their cheeks and over the bridge of their noses. They wore nothing more than loincloths, carrying tall, sharpened spears with a thin coating of almost clear slime on the tips; both of the captive Avians knew instantly that it was lethal poison. The man in the center could easily be identified as the chief of the village, he wore a crown of feathers and roughly shaped beads, it added an extra foot to his height. He was rounding around the middle, years of inactivity and sitting on a throne for the majority of his day had diminished any physique he may have had in the past. His eyes were cold and calculating, seeming to judge the two prisoners before him with a glance. Curious onlookers peered into the tent as the chief finally stood in front of Wing and Mal, glaring at them as if a very glance from his eyes could kill. With one glance to his left and another to his right, the two guards cut the rope that bound Wildwing and Mallory to the post in the center of the hut. The two captives were shoved roughly to their feet and held at spear point, just in case either of them decided to try and escape from the grips of the guards. One command from the chief, and the guards shoved Wildwing and Mallory out of the hut and into a cart that was waiting just outside of the crumbling shelter. The bright, mid-day sunlight blinded the ducks as they were forced outside; they had barely been able to distinguish night from day in the makeshift cell. The guards shoved them into the back of the cart; the six-foot bars on it assured that none of its occupants could escape. As soon as their vision adjusted to the brightness of the sunlight, they reeled in fear as they saw crowds and crowds of villagers circling what seemed to be a huge platform that had been erected in the middle of the huts, and the cart that they were trapped in was heading right for it.  
  
Wildwing staggered back in alarm, as Mallory's eyes grew wide at what she presumed to be their fates.  
  
"Oh my God, they're going to burn us alive. Shit, shit, shit..."  
  
Mallory looked over at Wildwing as he cursed, it was uncharacteristic of him, but was becoming an almost normal part of his speech ever since they had been captured.  
  
"Don't say it Wing, maybe they're just taking us to that platform to be judged or something. I'm sure that whatever laws these...things have will be put to use. Don't make me be the optimist here, okay?"  
  
They leaned against the bars of the cart, Wildwing showing much more panic across his features than Mallory. Finally, the ramshackle vehicle halted to a stop in front of the platform, jarring the leader and second-in- command of the Mighty Ducks from their thoughts. The guards opened the gate in the back and roughly shoved the prisoners out, walking them to the platform and tying them almost immediately to the large stake that resided in the middle of the platform. The villagers began screaming and ranting, throwing assorted objects in the general vicinity of Mallory and Wildwing. Wildwing couldn't make out any of what they were saying, but he had a hunch that the one word that the villagers screamed and repeated over again, "gehntay", could probably be roughly translated into "intruder" or "enemy".  
  
Suddenly, an old woman appeared out of the crowd and walked onto the platform, standing with her arms outstretched before the crowd. A hush fell quickly over them, and she began to speak, wagging her finger in an angry manner over the crowd. A horrified expression fell over them, and as the woman finished her speech, she turned around to the ducks and offered them each a long drink of water. She turned to the chief; bowing to him and speaking in a gentle, yet firm tone, almost as if she was trying to prove her side of an argument with him. The chief rubbed his temples, obviously weighing a heavy argument, spoke a few gruff sentences to the woman, and then signaled his guards. Wildwing and Mallory heard a loud crack, and felt the ropes fall from their wrists. The guard looked down on Mallory and glared at her, but Wildwing grabbed her hand and dragged her back to him, keeping his arm in between her and the guard.  
  
"Work with me here, they're primitive, they'll understand not to mess with you if I protect you rather than if you just start beating people up."  
  
Mallory narrowed her eyes at him, let out an angry growl, and played along, placing her hands on his arm and standing behind him. Wildwing held her close to him in possession. He partially did it to keep her safe, but inside he knew that there was more to it. The old woman turned to them within an instant, bowing so low to them that her forehead touched the dirt. Soon, the entire crowd followed, then the reluctant guards, and finally the chief, but only after he sent a cold glance their way.  
  
"Wildwing? What in the..."  
  
"They must think that we're..."  
  
They looked at each other and the realization hit them both.  
  
"Gods?"  
  
"Exactly what I was thinking."  
  
"Oh stars Wing, what in the world are we getting ourselves into?"  
  
"How are we going to tell them that we aren't what they think we are?"  
  
"I have no clue, all I know is that we're in for one interesting adventure..."  
  
He gripped her shoulder as the people began to rise. They looked into each other's eyes as she patted his hand.  
  
"Don't worry Wing, but you have to think of this strategically, at least this way, no one will wanna kill us..."  
  
"But still..."  
  
"I know, this isn't right, but we're stuck here for right now, and I for one don't wanna be here permanently." She ran her finger across her throat to emphasize what she meant. "As soon as we can understand them, we'll tell them about what's happened and that we need to go home."  
  
She was interrupted as the old woman approached them, resting one of her hands in each of theirs. She nodded her head off to the side, silently telling them to follow her. Wing and Mal eyed each other warily and shrugged their shoulders as they started walking, wondering how in the world they were ever going to get home. 


	5. Resigning to Fate

The Lost: Chapter Five  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Pairings: Wildwing/Mallory  
  
Author's Note: Mmmmkay, it's time to get crackin' on this baby, and get it over with. Just read on, dudes. Oh, FF.net ate my spacing and whatnot as well. Please excuse the non-indentations and the ugly spacing.  
  
The Lost – Chapter Five  
  
The remaining four ducks circled around the tops of the rainforest trees in yet another search for their lost comrades, becoming more and more discouraged by the day. There was no sign of Mallory or Wildwing, it was almost as if they had descended into the jungle and vanished into thin air. There were no signs of their com tracers, and their aerial searches had come up fruitless, as it was impossible to see anything below the thick, vibrant canopy. It had been almost two weeks since Mallory and Wildwing had disappeared, and the remaining Avians were beginning to run out of hope that their teammates were still alive.  
  
The team looked around as the fuel light was blinking and beeping, signaling that yet another four-hour aerial sweep had come up empty. Duke, who was now in charge looked up at the offending signal and sighed,  
  
"Alright Tanya, take 'er down."  
  
Tanya looked to Duke and sighed as she turned the Aerowing around and headed back to their hotel.  
  
Twenty minutes later, everyone exited the Aerowing and headed to their rooms, ready to sleep off the weary aches that life brought, to escape the horrors of the day and fall into a slightly less disturbing state of unconsciousness. Duke, however, had other plans.  
  
"Everybody!" The other three Avians turned around at Duke's voice, and looked at him with weary, forlorn eyes. "We need ta have a little meetin' in my room now, if ya please." He discontinued eye contact with everyone, and his head and shoulders slumped as he opened the door to his room. "So, are ya comin' in, or am I gonna have ta make ya?"  
  
Everyone groaned and filed into the room. Tanya and Nosedive sat on the single bed in the middle of the room while Grin chose the floor. Duke paced in front of them all nervously as he gathered his thoughts, trying to decide on the correct choice of words to address the group. He sighed, and placed his head in his hand. 'Here goes nothin', he thought.  
  
"Alright guys, it's been a couple o' weeks since Mal and Wing disappeared, right?"  
  
Everyone nodded and braced themselves for the outcome of Duke's gathering, somehow, they all knew news of the worst kind was going to come.  
  
"Look, guys, if we haven't found them by now..."  
  
"NO!" Nosedive screamed in terror. He knew where Duke was going with his speech. He would try to talk about how it was getting to the stage where searching any longer for their missing team members was pointless, that there were good chances that Mallory and Wildwing would probably never come out of the dense, South American jungle. He would talk about how no search party would risk going into the jungle to look for them, that it was too risky, and that there were no other options left for them to follow. Then he would conclude with how sorry he was, but that they had to give up the search for their teammates, for Nosedive's brother. Nosedive would have none of it.  
  
Nosedive's fists clenched around the neck of Duke's shirt, his knuckles white and straining, his hands and arms trembling, his eyes narrowed and glaring daggers. "I'm not giving up on them, I'M NOT GIVING UP ON MY BIG BRO!" He shoved Duke out of his hands, sending the older duck sprawling to the floor. Nosedive kept his hands in fists, standing and staring at the wall in front of him, breathing heavily. In the blink of an eye, a loud crack was heard, and the other three ducks winced at the sound. Nosedive had punched a rather large hole in the wall of the hotel, his hand obviously broken, and bleeding at the point of impact. With his good hand, the youngest of the team members opened the door and walked out, slamming the piece of wood behind him.  
  
Duke looked up at Tanya and Grin from his place on the floor, courtesy of one distraught, teenage avian. "Pack your stuff up guys, we're leaving. There's nothing more we can do here." He picked himself up off the floor and caught up with Grin, just as he was leaving.  
  
"Hey Grin, can I ask ya a favour?" Grin just stared at him, blank as ever. Duke envied his ability to keep his cool in any situation, even if he was troubled underneath the surface. "Can ya talk to the kid for me? He's taken this rather badly, and I know you two are close." Grin nodded an affirmative and placed his hand on the doorknob. "Oh, an' Grin?" Duke had remembered one more request. "Get him to a doctor, get his hand looked at, please. Whateva' he did, it looked painful."  
  
Duke looked behind him to see Tanya, struggling to get up off of the bed and into a state of movement.  
  
"Hey, sweetheart, lemme help ya up."  
  
Duke grabbed Tanya's hands and pulled her to a standing position, her head hanging, and her entire body seeming weak and uncooperative.  
  
"Hey, Tanya..." Her eyes continued to focus on the floor, her head still aimed at the ground. "Tanya, look at me..." Duke placed a hand under her beak, tilting her head up so that he could look her in the eyes. The amount of sadness combined with the unshed tears that he found there was overwhelming for him. "Hey, you okay?" She blinked, a single large tear raced down her cheek, and Duke wiped it away with his free hand. "Come 'ere sweetheart..." With his invitation, Tanya fell into his arms and began to sob, her emotions overwhelming her. Duke held her, absently rubbing her back, a few of his tears mingling with her own as he stared out the window at the full moon in the sky.  
  
'Wherever ya guys are, please be okay...and if ya ain't, well, rest in peace..."

* * *

In the two weeks that Mal and Wing had been stuck in the primitive jungle village, they had been accommodated for, and the natives were trying their best to adjust them into daily life. Immediately noticing Mallory's talent for weaponry and accuracy, along with her small and stealthy size, she was cast as a hunter and a warrior. Wildwing found his place as a village healer, in his off time back in Anaheim he had read up and studied on seemingly every subject under the sun, including herbal remedies and botany. Wildwing's aptitude for academics made him well suited to work with the village healer, there was nothing that he couldn't learn. They each had their own huts, nicely furnished in the ways that the tribe could provide, and both were beginning to pick up on the local lingo and customs.  
  
Mallory sighed as she sat on a thick tree branch a mile out from the village. As she was on guard duty all night, she knew that she was going to be bored out of her mind and lonely the entire time. 'If only the rest of the team was here, I wouldn't be so bored.' Mallory slumped against the thick trunk of the tree at thoughts of her teammates. She missed them terribly, even Nosedive who was a constant annoyance. She stared up at the stars above her, from her high vantage point she had a good view of the heavens and the twinkling skies normally hidden from the ground.  
  
As Mallory stared up at the sky, wondering of her friends, Wildwing climbed up the tree that she was on, hoping to be able to keep her company throughout the night. He missed his team and his brother terribly, but he was comforted by the small fact that Mallory was there alongside him. He climbed up for what seemed like forever, until he finally reached the branch that Mal occupied. He climbed up behind her, the wind whipping at his hair and ruffling his feathers.  
  
"Mal?" Wildwing's voice was unsteady, heights like the tree branch he was standing on had always made him nervous.  
  
"Wing?" Mallory turned around slowly, her eyes unfocused and glazed over. She shook her head free of her mental cobwebs and smiled, inwardly amused at Wildwing's fear of heights. "What are you doing out here?"  
  
"I just came to see how you were, I was bored and I couldn't sleep."  
  
"Mmm..." Mallory hummed silently and scooted closer to him, staring up at the sky. "Look at the stars, I can't ever remember seeing a sky so clear. Anaheim is so full of pollution, light and otherwise."  
  
"Yeah...Oh! Look over there!" He took Mallory's hand in his own and used them to point out an intriguing object, far off in the distance.  
  
Mallory smiled, "A shooting star...I've never seen one of those..." She grinned in awe as Wildwing kept their right hands entwined.  
  
Wildwing placed his beak right next to her ear as he wrapped his free arm around her shoulders. "Make a wish."  
  
"I think we both know what I'd wish for. It wouldn't come true." She sighed and turned her head away from him.  
  
"Make it anyways."  
  
And so she did. She stared out at the sky, knowing that all that she wanted right now, to go home, was something that was not going to happen anytime soon, and she hung her head. The next thing she knew, Wildwing's arms wrapped around her and drew her into his protective embrace. For once, she let herself fall to her weaknesses, her weakness of sorrow and of love, and sank into his chest. She sat with him, unmoving until the rising of the sun. The changing of the guard allowed her to come down then, and Wildwing followed, holding her hand for the entire walk back to the village. 'At least,' she thought, 'I have Wildwing. Even if we can't be what I want us to, it doesn't matter. At least I have him with me. And that means that I'm not alone.' At that thought she smiled and squeezed his hand, continuing their hike back to the village...  
  
TBC... 


	6. And the World Turns Upside Down

Title: The Lost  
  
Rating: PG-13, I think. I'm not really sure that I remember.  
  
Pairings: Wing/Mal. Duh. If you can't guess that by now, go beat yourself over the head with a stick.  
  
Author's Notes: There's only going to be one, two chapters at most to finish this. I'm going to try and make it one, because I really hate this fic. Despite that, I'm finishing it anyways, I like completing things I start, and I hate it when people leave WIP's unfinished ::Makes a rather unsubtle hint to fic abandoners everywhere::, and I think that everyone deserves the common courtesy and decency of a finished WIP. Besides, I know how I want this to end, I'm not going to deprive you of an ending that I already have imagined up. That and the fact that the MD:TAS section of is DEAD. ::pokes at the rotting, grotesque corpse of aforementioned section:: Anyways, enjoy the writing, if that's at all possible.  
  
The Lost – Chapter 6  
  
"Happy almost anniversary, Wing."  
  
Mallory's voice shook Wildwing from his thoughts as he stared out across the forest.  
  
"Huh? What are you talking about, Mal?"  
  
"You don't remember?"  
  
"Remember what?" Wildwing stared at her quizzically as she sat down next to him on the gargantuan tree branch that Mallory and the other warriors had guarded their not-so-new home from more times than they could count.  
  
"It'll be three years tomorrow." Mallory avoided his gaze as she continued, "We've been here for almost three years, Wing."  
  
"You've been counting?" Wildwing stared at her profile, his eyebrows knitting in disbelief.  
  
"Yup. Today is July 24th, to be precise. Tomorrow's it."  
  
"Mallory McMallard, you surprise me every once in a while, did you know that?"  
  
"Meh, I try my best." She winked at him and handed him his medicine bag. "Come on, it's late, I think it'd be good if we all just went to bed. I, for one, know that I need the rest."  
  
She stood, helping him up along the way, his hand leaving a slight tingle across her skin. She inwardly smiled at the warmth she felt in his presence and touch, a feeling that had only grown stronger as their years together progressed. They walked through the thick foliage in silence, Wildwing stopping every once in a while to pick up a wild plant or two that he could find use for in his medicines.  
  
"So," Wildwing began, "How do you keep track of the days like that? I mean, it's not like there's a calendar here."  
  
"Well...I think all I needed was this..." Mallory reached into the pocket of her now faded, dirty and torn jumpsuit. From there, she pulled out a digital watch, still ticking away through the three years of torrent rains and blistering heat. "It's digital, so it keeps track of stuff like the date, it's got a stopwatch, that sort of thing. I knew it was going to have some use one of these days."  
  
Wildwing looked at the tiny piece of plastic and metal in awe. It was the first item from their old life that he had seen in three years, besides the clothing on their backs. He rubbed his thumb over the display, dirty and scratched by the years of wear that had been inflicted upon its owner. "Wow...Take good care of this Mal, it's the only link back to our home that we have."  
  
"I know. I'm so glad they missed this when they searched us that first day we were here."  
  
Wildwing fiddled with the device a bit, astonished by technology that, three years ago, he wouldn't have thought twice about. Now, just mentioning what he remembered technology could do left him in a daze as he compared it to the primitive life he had been forced into. He took one last look at the device and handed it to Mal, a tiny surge of electricity passing between them as their hands grazed one another in the transfer.  
  
They walked back to camp in a comfortable silence, after living in such close quarters for so long, talking was no longer necessary to fill the long periods of silence. One duck having the presence of the other was enough. They arrived back at their home after what seemed like an eternity of walking, the distance between their shelters and the guard post was one thing that the two had never quite gotten used to, it was still a struggle on the days that the trek was necessary and unavoidable. A few more moments of movement and they stumbled upon Mal's hut, their final destination. Wildwing insisted on walking her everywhere to serve as extra protection. Even though she originally she scoffed at the idea, she became more lenient on it after he explained all of the dangers that a rainforest environment had to offer. Mal had always thought that chivalry had long since been dead, her faith in such a concept had been renewed in the aforementioned and other actions of one white-feathered, insecure drake by the name of Wildwing. Always keeping this in mind whenever they were together, she smiled, and knew how she had reluctantly fallen for him in the first place.  
  
"Well, I guess this is goodnight." Mal's voice grew quiet, as it was late into the night, and she didn't want to disturb the occupants of the other huts.  
  
"Yeah, I'll, um, see you tomorrow, I guess." Wildwing shifted nervously as he calculated the opportunity before him. He had been planning to tell her of his growing feelings for some time now, his extended time of living with her had sealed his heart's fate. He knew now that his tiny crush that had started since he first laid eyes on her had grown into something much more indescribable and confusing. He could only think of one thing that could inspire such feelings in him; love. He had a hard time believing the revelation at first, but as the time had worn on, and as they had grown closer, the idea was becoming much easier to accept and embrace. What laid in front of him now was yet another span of time alone that he could use to tell her how he felt, another opportunity that he would let pass through his fingers, another moment wasted.  
  
She pulled out her watch and tugged Wildwing on the shoulder.  
  
"Count down with me."  
  
"Wha-"  
  
"Ten...nine..."  
  
Wildwing suddenly picked up on what she was doing, and continued to count with her.  
  
"Eight...seven..."  
  
They both held their breath, in seven seconds midnight would be upon them.  
  
"Six...five...four..."  
  
Mallory's face beamed as she stared into the display, and Wildwing suddenly dawned upon an idea as he entwined his fingers with hers.  
  
"Three...two...one!"  
  
The watch beeped as midnight hit, and suddenly Wildwing kissed Mallory full on the beak as he gathered her up in his arms. They came up for air, and rested their foreheads against each other.  
  
"Happy three years, Mal."  
  
"Happy three years to you too, Wing."  
  
She broke away from him, and tugged him on the arm, a 'follow me' look in her eyes. Wildwing didn't even think twice as they lay together that night and fell asleep in each others arms, content.

* * *

"Mornin' Duke." Tanya didn't have to look up at her teammate to know he was there, she had already heard the doors hissing open, and had smelled the scent of Duke's rather expensive cologne before his body had actually passed by her.  
  
"Mornin'." Duke mumbled as he opened the refrigerator door and pulled out the orange juice. He poured two glasses, one for himself and one for the blonde, moping team tech across from him. "How's that...er...thing ya workin' on to find 'em?" Tanya's brows furrowed at the mention of her latest invention, and looked up at Duke for the first time that morning. He instantly sighed as he saw all the signs of fatigue from one of her typical all-nighters, the bloodshot eyes and her slumped posture were dead giveaways.  
  
"I-It's hopeless Duke. We're n-neva gonna f-find 'em. That machine i-is a f-friggin' hunk o' junk."  
  
"Don't say that sweetheart, you can do whateva needs ta be done ta bring 'em home. I know it." He sighed and walked behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Come on, why don't you go get some sleep, eh? Ya look like ya could use it."  
  
"N-No thanks, Duke. I-It's been three years to the day, a-and if they aren't d-dead, then I w-want them home. I-It's been long enough."  
  
"Alright sweetheart, whateva you want. Why don't we go take a look at it together, walk me through how it's supposed ta work."  
  
"O-Okay, I guess." As they made the familiar walk to her lab, Tanya inwardly thanked whatever Supreme Being that existed for Duke, he always knew how to simplify things for her, and how to help her logically think things through. She smiled and realized that if this helped her to make a breakthrough, that she would have to find some way to repay her best friend on Earth. "S-So, has Nosedive g-gotten any better? H-He hasn't shown much improvement l-lately to me."  
  
Ever since his big brother had disappeared, Nosedive had locked himself away in his room, barely eating and never seeing the light of day, too depressed without Wildwing to do anything other than survive in the hopes that one day, Wildwing would come back. It had severely worried the team, who was knee-deep in despair as it was.  
  
"I can't say he has either sweetheart,"Duke replied, "But he'll come around, eventually. He has to learn ta move on sometime, I suppose."  
  
Duke and Tanya finally reached her lab, the doors hissing open and closed behind them. The two surveyed the small piece of equipment in front of them, Tanya silently going through her calculations in her head. Duke looked at the machine quizzically, more at a loss about what to do than Tanya. Suddenly, an idea struck him.  
  
"Hey, Tanya, tell me what's supposed to make this thing work..." He smiled inwardly, he knew how to keep the Pond's top tech distracted, if nothing else.  
  
"Well, uh, lesse here..."  
  
He snuck over to her workbench and picked up a wrench as she turned around, her finger questioningly resting on her bottom lip.  
  
"Well, it's really l-like the tracers we use t-ta pick up COM signals. It'll pick up any electronic signals in the s-specified coordinates."  
  
He quietly snuck back over to her machine, tool in hand, hoping that she didn't turn around in the mere seconds it would take to implement his strategy.  
  
"And I-I've already programmed it to the area where they d-disappeared..."  
  
He fiddled with a few buttons, not getting any results. He narrowed his eyes at the machine, raised the wrench above his head, and brought it down hard upon the side of the machine. Tanya instantly turned around.  
  
"D-Duke!" Her face turned red as she grew more furious at the ex-thief by the millisecond. "What t-the he-"  
  
She was suddenly interrupted, as Duke flipped on the power switch to the machine. It whirred, buzzed and flashed its lights as it came to life, Tanya stood mouth agape as Duke crossed his arms and smiled smugly.  
  
"It's somethin' I've learned with things over time, if they don't work the first time ya ask 'em to, hit 'em. It's almost guaranteed ta fix the problem."  
  
"D-Dear God Duke, with a philosophy like that, I h-hope you never have kids."  
  
They both shared a laugh and smiled at the fact that Tanya's once defunct machine was now fully up and running. They were about to exit the room when a loud beeping sound emitted from the device, and Tanya's brows furrowed as she checked the machine over.  
  
"D-Duke, uh, get the others...I have a reading! It could very well be them!"  
  
"Are you serious?"  
  
"N-No Duke I'm just messing around with you." She folded her arms and glared at him. "Of c-course I'm serious ya n-nimrod. Go!"  
  
And with that, Duke left to go round up the rest of his teammates while Tanya pinpointed the location of the signal.

* * *

Wildwing and Mallory had awoken that morning, actually content with the situation at hand, a drastic change from their attitudes in the past three years. They had broken off early, Mallory to her hunting and protecting duties and Wing to the healer's hut, but not before a quick goodbye kiss. They both departed happy and carefree that morning; little did they know that the feeling wouldn't last long.  
  
Wildwing had been sitting in his hovel for quite some time, he was guessing that it was mid-day, at least. All of a sudden, a mass of screaming and yelling became audible from the edge of the clearing that the village resided in. He ran out, attempting to find out what was going on, seconds later one of the village's female warriors came to him, panic-stricken and babbling on at a mile a minute, dragging him back inside the shelter. In the young girl's exasperated state, Wildwing couldn't understand a word of what was passing her lips.  
  
"Alright, calm down, take a few deep breaths. What's going on?"  
  
"It...it's Mallory, Wildwing. We were out on a hunt and...and...there was this snake. One of the other warriors stepped on it accidentally, and Mallory was in its range of attack. It...it bit her, Wildwing." Tears were now streaming down her face. "She's already sick Wildwing, she's..."  
  
Wildwing looked horror-stricken as their conversation was cut short by two of the stronger warriors carrying in Mallory's limp body, resting it on the pallet on the floor. He had no time to ask any of the warriors in the room questions, as at that moment, the chief healer came storming out of his part of the hut, angry at the noise that had recently gathered in the front of his home. His angry expression silenced the room's occupants, they parted to allow the healer full view of Mallory, barely conscious and using what little strength she had left to grip Wildwing's hand; the young drake had moved to Mallory's side in all the commotion that the others had stirred. He looked at the two miserable ducks in pity, he knew that both of them had to be in extreme anguish right now, not knowing what was going on or what to do about their current situation. The healer got the information he needed from the warriors and told them to leave, shooing them out with a gesture of his hands and a sorrowful look in his eyes.  
  
Mallory had slipped into unconsciousness in the time it took for the room to clear out, Wildwing furrowed his brows and bowed his head, his hand never leaving hers. The healer placed a hand on Wildwing's shoulder and motioned him to come into the next room. Wildwing did so, even with reluctance and a strong sense of foreboding. He could not look the older man in the eyes, and could barely focus on the words that he was hearing.  
  
"I'm sorry, Wildwing. I've never seen anything like this before, the toxins are strong and are already running deep into her system. The others didn't know what to do with her, and made some wrong moves in helping to get the poison out of her system. In reality, they probably made the situation worse." The next words that Wildwing heard brought his life crashing down around him, "I'm sorry Wildwing, I don't think there's anything we can do for her. It's too late to help her." Wildwing closed his eyes and sighed, his brain unable to process what his ears were translating. He walked out silently, taking his place at Mallory's bedside once again, his hand taking hers. He sighed and raked his free hand through his hair as his mind focused in on one single thought that broke his heart into a thousand pieces. Mallory was dying, and there was nothing that he could do. 


	7. Everything Falls Apart

Title: The Lost  
  
Rating: PG-13. I checked this time.  
  
Pairings: Wing/Mal  
  
Author's Note: I can't believe I'm almost frickin' done with this story. Yay. I haven't put a disclaimer on the past I-don't-know-how-many chapters in this fic, so I might as well throw one in here. I don't own MD:TAS, nor am I making any money off of this. Sue me and I'll just send you crappy Wing/Dive slash fic in the mail. I'm warning you. Oh! I should probably mention this, there's character death in this chapter. And angst, lots and lots of angst. I'm not angsty, though, because I'm almost done with this hideous story, and I'll never have to look at it ever again. MUHAHAHAHA. Anyways, on with the fic.  
  
The Lost – Chapter 7  
  
Wildwing sat huddled on the floor of the tiny shelter that he once valued as a safe haven. Now, it was filled with a sense of sorrow, an air of death hovered over everything inside. He clutched Mallory's hand in his as the painful hours and hours of waiting passed by him in slow motion. Mallory was thrashing around on her pallet, the poison infecting and destroying her organs one by one; she was slowly and painfully dying. Wildwing was at a loss, he had no idea how he was going to cope with life without her, she had been his only friend in the entire jungle, and they had just dipped their toes into the pool of a blossoming romance. He had no idea what he was going to do when he was gone. He lay down next to her, wrapping her in his arms, using the only weapon he had left against her agony: prayer.  
  
"Jesus, Allah, God, Buddha, whoever is up there and listening, I beg of you, please don't take her from me, please...help her..." A few tears ran down his cheeks as he whispered words of encouragement in her ear. Wildwing knew Mallory was a fighter, inside and out, and he prayed that she would remain true to form and not give up her life without a long, hard battle.

* * *

Duke and Tanya had done a quick, effective job of rousing the team, Grin was always in one predictable place, and at the mention of "Wildwing" and "rescue" in the same sentence, Nosedive had bounced out of his room with a renewed vigor. Within an hour, they had loaded up the Aerowing with food, medical supplies, fresh clothing for their two lost comrades, and of course, the tracking device that they would need to find them. They took off, excited that they had a good chance of finding Wildwing and Mallory.

* * *

Mallory's breathing was becoming more labored by the minute, Wildwing knew that she wouldn't last long. His tears came freely now, Mallory was now steadily losing her battle for her life, and within the hour, he would probably be totally alone. He kissed her forehead and smoothed back the damp hair that clung to her skin. Although Mallory had been close to the edge of death for hours, she had not yet fallen over.

* * *

The rest of the team had traveled for hours, it was now almost into the dinner hour back home, they were all restless to meet back up with Wildwing and Mallory.  
  
"Just a little bit more guys, we're almost there!" Tanya was overjoyed. When they finally came upon the exact location, they found a large clearing. "Alright, Duke, take 'er down!"

* * *

Wildwing now knew that Mallory was within her final minutes. Her pulse was so sluggish that it almost wasn't there at all, and he finally whispered the only thing he knew left to say to her. He shoved aside what he want, and did what he thought was best for her, an end to her suffering. "Mal, although I want you here with me, I know that now you're just needlessly suffering. You're allowed to die, Mal, it's okay.

* * *

The Aerowing finally touched the ground, its landing gear making contact with the soil.

* * *

Hearing his words in her unconscious mind, Mallory took in her last breath. Her jerky movements stilled, her body relaxed, and her chest no longer rose and fell shakily. Wildwing smiled, she was finally at peace. He knew that telling her that she was allowed to leave him had been the right thing to do.

* * *

Nosedive rushed out of the Aerowing as soon as it made contact with the Earth. He ran as fast as he could to the village he saw up ahead, not caring to heed the screams and calls of his teammates that now seemed so far behind him. He finally reached the entrance, the guards holding his struggling body back.  
  
"WILDWING!!!" Nosedive screamed into the deathly silent air. The guards, recognizing the name, tapped him on the shoulder and gestured him to follow them. Tanya, Duke and Grin sat back and watched, warily.  
  
They opened the flap to the healer's tent that they knew Wildwing was staked out in, covering their mouths with their index finger in a gesture of silence. Nosedive walked in, there was something eerie about this hut, there was an uncomfortable silence, and the smell of death hung thickly in the air. He looked to his left, and his eyes grew wide at the sight before him. Wildwing, his big brother, was curled into a ball, his forearms resting on his knees and his head buried in his body. Looking a little more to the right, he saw Mallory lying on the floor, unmoving, and worst of all, not breathing. His face grew a horrified expression as it dawned on him that Mallory had died, recently.  
  
"Wing?"  
  
Wildwing's head jerked up at the familiar voice calling his name. He stared his brother straight in the eyes, but made no attempt to move. He was far too drained, and too deep in mourning to have the energy it would take to get up and embrace his kin. Nosedive sat down next to him and threw his arms around his older brother.  
  
"I'm sorry, Wing, I'm so sorry..."  
  
Wing made no attempt to respond to his brother. Instead, he just curled himself up into a tighter ball.  
  
"When did this happen, Wing?"  
  
"6:04 PM." He mumbled as little as possible, he was in no mood for conversation.  
  
"What the? How did you...?" Nosedive was confused at how Wing had somehow gotten the time of death even though he was out in the middle of a primitive jungle.  
  
Wildwing pulled out the watch, "It stopped the moment she died. I had it out, waiting, so that I'd have her time of death."  
  
Nosedive tried hugging him harder, but it only made Wildwing pull away from him altogether. Seeing as how he was getting no positive response from Wing, he got up from his position on the floor and walked out of the tent. He knew that he would have to be the one to break the news to rest of the team, Wildwing was in no state to have to do anything right now.  
  
He walked back to his teammates, waiting just outside the village's entrance for his return. He was immediately bombarded with questions, but they all fell silent when they took in his posture. His slumped shoulders and bowed head tipped them off to something amiss.  
  
"Hey, kid, what 'appened back there?" Duke looked quizzically at Nosedive  
  
"I found Wing and Mal."  
  
"That's a good thing, little friend, isn't it?" Grin rested a hand on Nosedive's shoulder.  
  
"Only one of them's alive. If that's what you call good, then yeah, this is just peachy."  
  
"WHAT?!?" A chorus of confusion rang out.  
  
"Mal's dead, guys. She died..." He opened the watch on his wrist com, "three minutes ago."  
  
Tanya buried her head in her hands and left back for the Aerowing, an overwhelming sense of guilt washing over her.  
  
"Hey, sweetheart, where do you think you're goin'?" Duke followed her as she walked away.  
  
"I-I d-don't know. I j-just don't know."  
  
They both entered the Migrator together, Tanya immediately burst into tears and an anguished cry let loose from her beak. She babbled as she cried, and Duke took a hold of her, sitting them down on the floor of the Aerowing. He finally made out the words 'it's all my fault...' out of her tirade, and immediately knew that she felt that she should have worked harder to get her machine working. It made Duke wish he had gone to see Tanya that night, instead of walking in on her in the breakfast hour, sleepily rubbing at her eyes and cursing her newest invention. Together, they wallowed and mourned in their guilt.

* * *

Within an hour, Nosedive had finally gotten Wildwing to pick himself off the floor, and shoved him into the Aerowing, strapping him in so that he made sure Wildwing wouldn't do anything to hurt himself. He knew that Wildwing was dealing with a major loss, the three years they spent with each other were bound to make them closer, and he had seen friends back on Puckworld who had killed themselves over less. Grin and Nosedive had then left the three openly grieving ducks to themselves, pulling all of their strength together to gather up Wildwing and Mallory's belongings, and Mallory's body. Within another passing hour, they had left, thanking the natives for everything that they had done, looking forward from the past three years of trauma that they had endured.  
  
Wildwing watched as the village had grown smaller and more distant as each second flew past. He dug out the watch from his pocket, rubbing the tearstained face of it with his thumb. He was finally going home, but he knew that he would never be free from the burdens that today had brought upon him. He sighed as he curled into himself, dreading the beginning of the rest of his life. 


	8. It's All A Vicious Cycle

Title: The Lost  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Pairings: W/M.  
  
Author's Note: I AM DONE! No more chapter ficcie for this chicky... (Hey, that rhymed!) Anyways, read my note at the bottom of this little epilogue, it's very important. Finishing this is actually an early birthday present to myself (which is actually tomorrow, I'm cutting my own deadlines really close here...), but I hope that you all will enjoy it as much as I enjoy being done with it.  
  
The Lost – Epilouge  
  
Three days later, they buried Mallory. Wildwing, amazingly enough, lasted through the whole funeral. He stayed through the burial that the rest of the others could not bear to watch. Even after all of the services were over, he still remained, crouched by her headstone, unmoved by the warm breeze that blew through his hair. He was, in fact, comforted by it. Somehow he knew it was Mallory, telling him that everything was alright on her end. He smiled, and walked back to the Pond.  
  
Everyone had fallen asleep that night, although rather restlessly for most. Wildwing, however, did not. At three that morning, he packed his bags, leaving most of his stuff behind, just as he wanted it. He made one last stop into Mallory's room, taking in every detail of what lay before him. He knew that he would never see this place again. He picked up the dirty, broken, and now non-functional watch from her dresser where the team had put it once they found it gripped tightly in his hand. He stuffed it in his pocket, and left the Pond, via the back entrance. He threw all of his necessities in the back of his car, hopped in the driver's seat and started up the engine. Driving off onto the highway, he let the warm air blow through his hair and left all of his cares behind him, never looking back. He smiled, he would make sure that he would find his way to happiness again, even if it required his premature death as well.

* * *

When Nosedive had found that that Wildwing was gone again, he felt a sense of hatred growing within him. The vague, short note saying nothing more than, "Goodbye" that Wing had left made the bile rise in his throat. Nosedive sat down at the kitchen table, not looking the other three residents of the Pond in the eye.  
  
"Dive, do you know why Wing's mask was in my room this mornin'? I've asked everyone else, they don' know a thing about it."  
  
Nosedive glared at all of them, an evil smile growing on his beak as he tossed the note at Duke.  
  
"I hate that bastard. He did it again." Nosedive laughed maniacally before getting up and heading to his room. He would never be able to forgive his brother of leaving him a second time, and of his own volition, no less. The first time had been devastating, the second was unforgivable.  
  
Duke read the one word on the note that Wildwing had left, and threw the mask against the wall, shattering it with the force behind the throw. He picked up the pieces and bits of electronics that fell to the floor and threw them all in the trash can.  
  
"D-Duke! What did you do that for? I-If we have to go up against D- Draugaunus again, we'll be in a w-world of hurt!"  
  
"Aren't we already?" Duke stared her down as he made his way to the door.  
  
Tanya and Grin looked on as he exited. They shared a knowing glance, knowing that life for all of them had ended, mere existence and survival had settled in its place. Happiness would only come when all of their pain and internal wounds had been healed or wiped away. Both ducks exited to their own rooms, and prayed that time would heal the jagged holes in all of their hearts.  
  
The End.  
  
Second Author's Note: Hi everyone. Thanks ahead of time to everyone who reviews this...thing I wrote, although I seriously doubt I'll get any comments, which is fine by me.  
  
Now, on something of a serious note, I'd like to share some really important news with all of my readers. As of today, July 14th, 2004, I'm on a hiatus of unknown length from writing for the MD:TAS fandom. I may come back, I may not. It all depends on what I feel like doing, and how rejuvenated my fic muses feel after this break. I originally planned to rant here about all of the things that triggered this and then talk about how no matter what, I probably won't be posting again on But then I got the urge to start naming names and pointing out things that really bugged me but that would probably offend a lot of people. Normally, I say what I think, but I'd like to leave here with whatever integrity (Integrity, what's that? I don't think I have any...) I have left intact. I'd like to thank Jerbear, Jilliegoat, LadySilver1, and Nature-Flashblade for their continued support and friendship. I love all of you dearly, all of you are wonderful friends and totally awesome writers, I couldn't ask for a better crew of gals by my side. I know I talk to you all a lot, but I still wanted to thank you for everything that you all have done for me in the year(s?) that I've been here. Also, thank you to everyone who read my stories and reviewed them as well, although I probably would have kept on writing even if no one had said a word. May everyone be blessed with a fic of their favorite genre and pairing that they didn't have to write themselves at least once in their lifetime. So, my readers, in case I don't come back, goodbye to...to...um...::thinks:: Well, just goodbye. I think that'll cut it.  
  
Darkness Queen 


End file.
